Summer's here and the time is right for racing . . . on the track.
A nod there to Bruce Springsteen. Yes it is racing season, and Colorado's Motorcycle Roadracing Association's (MRA) first event is going on right this moment. We were out at High Plains Raceway yesterday for the season opener and you'll find a lot of action photos in the slideshow at left.
With a full slate of racing yesterday and today, the MRA features two dozen classes ranging from Novice GTU to Thunderbike, Open Supersport, Modern Vintage GTO, Formula 40, and a lot more.
As a special focus this year we're going to be following one particular racer through his season. Jon Kuo (pronouced "gua" as in guacamole, says Jon) is neither a rank novice nor one of the hottest racers on the track, making him a good Everyman.
Thirty years old, Jon is in his fourth year racing and this year is astride a new-for-him #80 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250. Racing, for him, is a hobby, and not something he makes a huge commitment to. He'll come out on race weekends, and do track days, "but it costs money."
Jon is running in three classes this season, described in the MRA program like this.
- Lightweight GP -- "Experts only. Bikes are a combination of small 4 cyl. and mid-to-large sized 2 cyl., 4 stroke bikes. and small-to-mid sized two stroke bikes. Common bikes: SV650, TZ125, TZ250, Ninja 650R."
- Colorado Class -- "Expert only. The 'Thumper' class. Mostly single cylinder, two and four stroke bikes."
- Production 250 Cup -- "Amateur class. Any year Kawasaki Ninja 250 and 2011 Honda CBR250R. Limited modifications. DOT tires."
Speaking a couple weeks ago about his hopes for the season Jon said, when asked about his hopes for the championship, "I'm hoping. It's started looking really good. I started thinking about this because I have a big advantage. I'm one of the lightest racers. On a 250 it's all about weight, power/weight ratio, and corner speed. Because they're not very fast. I've got at least 20-30 pounds on everybody. So I think my chances are really good to win the championship."
That initial optimism may have already been tempered when, speaking to him before the first Production 250 Cup race yesterday, he said about his plans for the race, "Get out and go, keep up with the fast guys and try to learn from them."
Then, after the race, in which he placed 7th, he said while removing his gear, "Sucked. Wasn't very good. Didn't go as fast as I wanted to. Otherwise, pretty good race. Pretty solid. Learn some more hopefully and get faster."
What about the weight advantage?
"Didn't help. People's cornering speeds were way faster than mine."
Will he do anything different in the next race?
"I've got to learn how to corner speed like them. A lot of spots where I was slower."
This was only the very first race of the season. Racing in three classes, with one, the Production 250 Cup, doing a double-header each race weekend, that means 32 races altogether. That provides some time and opportunity for improvement, and the chance to turn those pre-season dreams into reality. We'll be keeping an eye on Jon to see how it goes.
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